Tarzan Doesn't Do Flip-turns

I don't know about you, but I have been frequenting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's website. I recently ventured into the information they post regarding their research and was amazed! I tend to get long winded on this thing and all of the information I learned at the site, I am afraid I would bog down the entire Internet between the actual info and all my thoughts and reactions to it. I just get so excited to learn that they are not settling for the current treatments that are available to people diagnosed with cancer. While these treatments are exponentially better than nothing at all, the fact of the matter is that they are not a cure and that remission is a very frequent occurrence (there's a cool thing about why remission happens... stem cells and stuff...). So LLS is working so hard at taking the next step forward form the current treatments and that is finding a cure. YOU have the opportunity to help support them in this pursuit. LLS heavily relies upon donations in order to continue to research and stay hot on the trail of a cure to blood cancers. Opportunity is knocking at your door right now. You can donate to the LLS via my fundraising webpage. By participating in the 2008 Accenture Triathlon with Team in Training have committed to raising $2,000 for LLS by August 4th. So far, we have $680 and I am so excited about the strong start. However, a race is not complete until one crosses the finish line. If in the triathlon I climb out of the lake after a stellar swim leg and then lolly-gag through the bike and run, I'd consider it an unsuccessful race-- I'd get 'swept' where they come through and say you have to stop because you're going too slow. The same thing can be said for Fundraising. We are about 30% there-- so let's feel good about the first leg, and execute the next with a new level of enthusiasm.


Last night was a "Mandatory Swim." They require people to attend certain training sessions throughout the summer to make sure that everyone is on the right track, so come race-day no one will flop too horribly.
Instead of our normal drills that we do at the beginning, we learned two new ones: "Tarzan" and "Spot the Buoy." These drills address the fact that the lake is not a pool with flags and a black line on the bottom to help the swimmer know where he or she is in the water. I was very excited for these drills as the open-water aspect of the swim leg is a large contributor to my anxiety. "Tarzan" essentially is swimming with your head out of the water. Awkward? Yes. Uncomfortable? Yes. Efficient? Hardly. Helpful? Probably. So there I go, swimming like a barbarian and I finally made it to the other end of the pool. This is the point where I usually do a flip-turn as it is a more efficient way of turning than grabbing the wall and shifting all around. However, amidst the "Tarzan" fun, I apparently misjudged how close to the wall I actually was. As I flipped, my heels slammed onto the pool deck instead of into the water. Man ALIVE that is the most jarring feeling! I have done this before in a less dramatic fashion. When I did it yesterday, I acquired bruises of course. With any bruise there's always a picture:

Left:

Right:




I think I am destined to be cripple. That has been the excitement of the past twelve hours. In the long run, it's no big deal. I'm just walking around on my tip toes today and hoping tomorrow will be better. What is wrong with me?! I am so klutzy! Given-- getting doored was NOT my fault... this whole Tarzan Shenanigan though... I've gotta claim that one.

Biking this Saturday. =) Say a prayer for the Iron Horse.